top of page
Search

THE SPIRIT OF SAMI DRUM

The spirit of the Sami drum.Everything has a beginning,everything starts somewhere,sometime,thousands of years ago or just a few months ago...The Sami drum is born long before it is made,it is born hundreds of years ago in the wood of the tree that will make its frame,it is born in the animal that covers this beautiful piece with his skin,it is born in the mind and heart of the shaman long before he begins his journey,this is the way a Sami drum is born.Making a Sami drum is very similar to other shamanic drums,although each people has its own special characteristics,there are essential steps.The shaman or person who is going to make the drum spends some time in a forest area with which he has a special connection,where the tree that will shape the frame chooses the shaman...He makes an offering to the tree,usually a pine,birch or ash tree.He cuts the board that will form the frame and leaves it overnight in the water of a river or lake.The next day he takes the board out of the water,lights a sacred fire with the rest of the unused wood and places a cauldron with water from the river or lake,puts the board on top so that the steam makes the wood more flexible,shapes the frame and holds it with a strap,then looks for a special tree that will serve as a mould and leaves the frame hugging the tree for one or two nights.When the frame is dry he removes it from the tree and joins the ends with wooden pegs.Choose reindeer, deer or goat skin,save some of the blood to spread on the inside of the frame and bring out the spirit of the animal.Clean the skin,stretch it around the frame in the directions of the four cardinal points,make several holes and fasten it to a metal ring by tying it and fixing it with wooden pegs.The back handle is the branch of a tree and is tied to the frame leaving it suspended. The hammer is usually made of deer or reindeer antlers.During the whole process the shaman sings,makes offerings to the spirits and always has the four elements present It is an intimate,deep act,it is part of the path,the shaman is one with the drum,and the drum is one with the shaman,one cannot exist without the other...Pic by @das_universum_in_dir


 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page